Refrigerator door opener

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator includes a thermally insulated housing ( 1 ) opening forwards at a front surface thereof; a door  9, 10, 11, 12; 59, 60; 63, 64, 65; 57, 58; 59, 60 ) for selectively opening and closing the forward opening of the housing; a magnetic gasket ( 14, 14   b ) fitted to a portion of the door which is engageable with an open edge ( 13 ) of the housing; a pivotally supported handle ( 24, 34; 46 ) connected to the door for movement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing the door, respectively; and a trigger member ( 26; 50 ) drivingly coupled with the handle ( 24, 34; 46 ) for movement between projected and retracted positions. The trigger member is moved from the retracted position towards the projected position, as the handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abut against the open edge to thereby physically release a contact between the magnetic gasket and the open edge. The trigger member is spaced a distance from an abutment face of the open edge of the housing so long as the handle is held in the closed position, but temporarily brought into engagement with the abutment face of the housing as the handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the opened position to open the door.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a refrigerator and,more particularly, to a trigger mechanism built in a door handleassembly for forcibly opening the door a predetermined distance againstthe magnetic attraction used to keep the door shut.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] The refrigerator commercially available in the market nowadays isprovided with a plurality of doors, at least one of which is hingedlysupported at one side thereof for swinging between opened and closedpositions about the hinge. This hingedly supported swing door isgenerally provided with one or more storage shelves fixedly or removablyfitted to an interior surface of the swing door for accommodatingbottles, cans and/or canisters. In addition, each of the doors has amagnetic gasket fitted thereto so that when the respective door is inposition to close an opening leading into an associated refrigeratorcompartment, a substantially gas-tight seal can be created between therespective door and a front edge of the refrigerator to avoid anypossible leakage of chilled air from the interior of the refrigeratorhousing to the outside. As is well known to those skilled in the art,the magnetic gasket is of a design in which a permanent magnet isembedded to develop a magnetic force of attraction by which therespective door can be kept shut.

[0003] It has been experienced that in opening the refrigerator door arelatively large amount of pulling force is necessitated to overcome themagnetic force of attraction developed by the magnetic gasket betweenthe door and the front edge of the refrigerator housing. This isparticularly true where a substantial weight is imposed on the storageshelves by placement of filled bottles, cans and canisters. Consideringthat the hingedly supported swing door is getting installed at a topregion of the refrigerator, selective opening and closure of the door soloaded with the filled bottles, cans and canisters on the shelves isindeed a laborious job for a short user.

[0004] When it comes to the drawing door, the drawing door generallycarries a storage container for accommodating perishables and/or anyother food material therein. However, the deeper the storage container,the heavier the entire assembly thereof, and therefore a relativelylarge amount of pulling force is required to draw the drawing door froma closed position towards an open position.

[0005] In order to minimize the force required to open the door, theJapanese Laid-open Utility Model Publication No. 7-41377, published Jul.21, 1995, discloses a door trigger mechanism comprising a generallyelongated operating member movably concealed behind a door handle andhaving its opposite ends formed with a trigger arm. The trigger arms onthe opposite ends of the operating member are engaged in one of creasesin the magnetic gasket so that when the operating member is pulledforward during manipulation of the door handle, the trigger arms aremoved in a forwards in a direction away from a peripheral edge of therefrigerator housing to forcibly compress the magnetic gasket to therebycreate gaps between the magnetic gasket and the peripheral edge of therefrigerator housing, making it easy to open the refrigerator door.

[0006] The idea suggested in the above mentioned publication isapplicable where the magnetic gasket is of a cross-sectional shapesimilar to a bellows having a plurality of creases extending over theentire periphery of the magnetic gasket so that the magnetic gasket canbe inwardly compressed when the trigger arms are moved forwards.However, since the trigger arms are engaged in one of the creases in themagnetic gasket in touch with the magnetic gasket, frequent use of theoperating member would result in damage to the magnetic gasket. Once themagnetic gasket is damaged locally, the gas-tight seal will no longer beestablished between the peripheral edge of the refrigerator housing andthe magnetic gasket.

[0007] On the other hand, the Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No.61-79976, published Apr. 23, 1986, discloses a refrigerator doorhingedly supported by a hinge axis to a refrigerator housing, and ahandle movably fitted to a portion of the refrigerator door opposite tothe hinge axis. The handle is movably carried by the door by means of anelongated operating bar connected at one end hingedly to the hinge axisof the door and at the opposite end to the handle. A triggerprotuberance is fixedly mounted on a generally intermediate portion ofthe operating bar so as to protrude towards the peripheral edge of therefrigerator housing. This door trigger mechanism is so designed thatwhen the handle is pushed the trigger protuberance is brought intoabutment with the peripheral edge of the refrigerator housing toforcibly separate the magnetic gasket, fast with the door, from theperipheral edge of the refrigerator housing.

[0008] However, according to the above mentioned patent publication,once the magnetic gasket fast with the door has been forcibly separateda distance from the peripheral edge of the refrigerator housing by theaction of the trigger protuberance, the user has to pull the handleforward to open the refrigerator door. This means that the user has toundergo two successive steps of pushing the handle to create a slightgap between the door and the refrigerator housing and then grasping thehandle to pull the latter to thereby open the door. This is indeed acomplicated procedure.

[0009] A refrigerator door trigger mechanism employing a solenoid unitand an associated electric switch is disclosed in, for example, theJapanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 1-222187, published Sep. 5,1989, and the Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-9341, first publishedSep. 5, 1989 under the Laid-open Patent Publication No. 1-222186. Whilethe use of the electrically operated trigger mechanism appears to besophisticated, not only does the trigger mechanism require electricityaccompanied by increase of the electric power consumption of therefrigerator as a whole, but the use of the electrically operatedtrigger mechanism tends to result in increase of the cost of manufactureof the refrigerator. In addition, this requires a complicated operatingprocedure of activating the switch to energize the solenoid unit andthen pulling the handle forward to open the door.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0010] The present invention is intended to provide a door triggermechanism built in a door handle assembly for forcibly opening the doora predetermined distance against the magnetic force of attractiondeveloped between the magnetic gasket fast with the door and aperipheral open edge of the refrigerator housing to keep the door shut.

[0011] To this end, one aspect of the present invention provides arefrigerator which comprises a thermally insulated housing openingforwards at a front surface thereof; a door for selectively opening andclosing the forward opening of the thermally insulated housing; amagnetic gasket positioned between the door and the thermally insulatedhousing and fitted to a portion of the door which is engageable with anopen edge of the thermally insulated housing; a pivotally supportedhandle connected to the door for movement between opened and closedpositions for opening and closing the door, respectively; and a triggermember drivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projectedand retracted positions. In this structure, the trigger member is movedfrom the retracted position towards the projected position, as thehandle is pivoted from the closed position towards the opened position,to abut against the open edge to thereby physically release a contactbetween the magnetic gasket and the open edge. The trigger member isspaced a distance from an abutment face of the open edge of thethermally insulated housing so long as the handle is held in the closedposition, but temporarily brought into engagement with the abutment faceof the thermally insulated housing as the handle is pivoted from theclosed position towards the opened position to open the door.

[0012] According to the present invention, a simple pull of therefrigerator door in an attempt to open the door is accompanied bymovement of the trigger member from the retracted position towards theprojected position and subsequent opening of the refrigerator door.Accordingly, no extra complicated procedure is required such as observedin the prior art trigger mechanism.

[0013] Preferably, the trigger member is positioned within an areaencompassed by a length of the handle to allow the trigger mechanism tobe assembled compact.

[0014] The concept of the present invention is equally applicable to oneor more drawing doors employed in the refrigerator with or without thehingedly supported door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] The present invention will become readily understood from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments thereof made withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator according toa first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator shownin FIG. 1;

[0018]FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views, on an enlargedscale, of a portion of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 with a door handle ofa hingedly supported door assembly held in closed and opened positions,respectively, which portion is viewed from bottom of the refrigerator;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view, on an enlargedscale, of that portion of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, showing the doorhandle of the hingedly supported door;

[0020]FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the door handle shown in FIG. 5;

[0021]FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary side sectional view, on an enlargedscale, showing a drawing door in the refrigerator of FIG. 1 with thedoor handle held in closed and opened positions, respectively;

[0022]FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the door handle of the drawing doorshown in FIGS. 7 and 8;

[0023]FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the refrigerator accordingto a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of, on an enlarged scale,of a portion of the refrigerator of FIG. 10 with the door handle of thehingedly supported door assembly held in a closed position;

[0025]FIG. 12 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the portion ofthe refrigerator showing the door handle shown in FIG. 11;

[0026]FIGS. 13 and 14 are fragmentary side sectional view, on anenlarged scale, showing the drawing door in the refrigerator of FIG. 10with the door handle held in closed and opened positions, respectively;

[0027]FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the door handle of the drawing doorshown in FIGS. 13 and 14;

[0028]FIG. 16 is a fragmentary front elevational view of therefrigerator according to a third preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, showing only an upper portion of the refrigerator;

[0029]FIG. 17 is a schematic side sectional view of that portion of therefrigerator shown in FIG. 16;

[0030]FIG. 18 is a fragmentary front elevational view of therefrigerator according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0031]FIG. 19 is a front elevational view of the refrigerator accordingto a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 20 is a fragmentary front elevational view of therefrigerator according to a sixth preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0033]FIG. 21 is a fragmentary front elevational view of therefrigerator according to a seventh preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; and

[0034]FIGS. 22 and 23 are front elevational views of the refrigeratoraccording to eighth and ninth preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, respectively;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0035] Hereinafter, various preferred embodiments of the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. It is, however, to be noted that throughout the accompanyingdrawings like parts are designated by like reference numeral.

[0036] First Embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 9)

[0037] A refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 and is generally identified by 1 inFIGS. 1 and 2. The refrigerator 1 comprises a generally rectangularbox-like, thermally insulated upright housing 5 including an outerhousing component 2 opening forwards, an inner housing component 3similarly opening forwards and accommodated within the outer housingcomponent 2 and an adiabatic material 4 filled in a space delimitedbetween the outer and inner housing components 2 and 3, adiabaticpartition walls 6, 7 and 8 dividing the interior of the refrigeratorhousing 5 into four compartments each having a front opening, and fourdoors 9, 10, 11 and 12 for selectively opening and closing therespective compartments.

[0038] The outer housing component 2 of the housing 5 has a front edgeformed with a flange 2 a and, similarly, the inner housing component 3has a front edge formed with a flange 3 a. In an assembled condition ofthe refrigerator housing 5, the flange 2 a integral with the front edgeof the outer housing component 2 is overlapped with the flange 3 aintegral with the front edge of the inner housing component 3, made of asynthetic resin, to thereby define an open edge.

[0039] Each of the adiabatic partition walls 6 to 8 has a front faceprovided with a partition brim 13 made of metal. Each partition brim 13has a thickness L1 which is greater than the wall thickness L2 of therefrigerator housing 5. Also, each partition brim 13 may be made of asynthetic resin, in which case it is effective to any possible leakageof chilled air from the corresponding compartment by the effect ofthermal conduction.

[0040] Reference numeral 14 represents a magnetic gasket in which aflexible magnet 14 b is embedded. This magnetic gasket 14 has arectangular configuration and fitted to each of the doors 9, 10, 11 and12 so that the magnetic gasket 14 can be magnetically attracted to theopen edge to thereby avoid any possible leakage of chilled air.

[0041] Reference numeral 15 represents a compressor disposed beneath therefrigerator housing 5. A cooler 16 is positioned above the compressor15 and a blower 17 for forcibly circulating chilled air into each of thecompartments is also positioned above the cooler 16. Reference numeral18 represents a damper for guiding the chilled air, circulated by theblower 17, into the refrigerating compartment. Temperature inside therefrigerator housing 5 is so controlled that the four compartmentsinside the refrigerator housing 5 can define a refrigeratingcompartment, a freezer/refrigerating selectable compartment, a freezercompartment and a vegetable compartment, respectively, in the order fromtop of the refrigerator housing 5. In any event, the refrigerator itselfmay be of any known construction.

[0042] Each of the doors 9 to 12 is used to selectively open and closethe associated compartment in the refrigerator housing 5. The topmostdoor 9 has top and bottom right corner areas, as viewed in FIG. 1,connected to the refrigerator housing 5 by means of coaxially alignedhinges 19 for selectively opening and closing the front opening leadingto the refrigerating compartment. This topmost door 9 has a stack ofshelves 20 arranged one above the other on an inside surface thereoffacing towards the refrigerating compartment for accommodating bottles,cans, canisters and eggs.

[0043] Each of the remaining doors 10, 11 and 12 is a drawing door thatcan be moved between a forwardly drawn, open position and a rearwardlyretracted, closed position along guide rails (not shown) and thatincludes a corresponding storage container 21, 22 or 23 fitted theretowhile opening upwardly. As far as the depth and the capacity areconcerned, the storage container 21 fitted to the uppermost drawing door10 has the smallest of all.

[0044] The uppermost drawing door 10 is held at a height L above asupport surface, for example, a kitchen floor which is not greater than1 meter. This particular height L not greater than 1 meter is consideredoptimum for most Japanese women to remove or place food material intothe storage container 21 without being interfered by the other drawingdoors 11 and 12 where the refrigerating compartment is defined at top ofthe refrigerator housing 5.

[0045] Reference numeral 24 represents a hinged handle having a grip 25extending substantially horizontally below a lower portion of thehingedly supported door 9 opposite to the lowermost hinge 19. A portionof the hinged handle 24 is formed integrally with a trigger piece 26made of a synthetic resin and engageable with the partition brim 13 thatforms a part of the open edge of the refrigerator housing 5. Thistrigger piece 26 is positioned on a lower face of a lower decorativeplate 9 a of the hingedly supported door 9 and at a location adjacentand outside one corner of the rectangular magnetic gasket 14.Positioning of the trigger piece 26 outside the corner of therectangular magnetic gasket 14 is particularly advantageous in avoidingthe possibility of the gas-tight seal being impaired

[0046] Reference numerals 27 and 28 represent a support bracket. Thesupport bracket 27 is used for connecting the hinged handle 24 to thehingedly supported door 9 for pivotal movement in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the hingedly supported door 9 between opened and closedpositions. This support bracket 27 is rigidly secured by means of aplurality of set screws 29 to the decorative plate 9 a concealing alower surface of the trigger piece 26 and includes a lug 30 protrudingforwardly from the hingedly supported door 9. On the other hand, thesupport bracket 28 is rigidly secured by means of a plurality of setscrews 29 to a front surface of the hingedly supported door 9 and has alug 31 formed integrally therewith by bending so as to protrude in adirection conforming to the direction of protrusion of the lug 30 inface-to-face relation with the lug 30.

[0047] The hinged handle 24 includes a hinge pin 32 extending across thethickness of the hinged handle 24 with its opposite ends connectedrespectively to the mutually confronting lugs 30 and 31. Accordingly,the hinged handle 24 can pivot between the opened and closed positionabout this hinge pin 32. The grip 25 of the hinged handle 24 and thetrigger piece 26 are held in such a positional relation that the triggerpiece 26 can occupy a position opposite to the hinge, i.e., on one sideof the hinge pin 32 remote from the grip 25. An elastic member 33 suchas, for example, a coiled spring is loosely mounted on the hinge pin 32to urge the hinged handle 24 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG.3 to assume the closed position unless a pull is applied to the hingedhandle 24. Thus, it will readily be seen that when the hinged handle 31is pulled forwards, the hinged handle 24 pivots counterclockwise aboutthe hinge pin 32 as viewed in FIG. 3 against a biasing force of theelastic member 33. It is to be noted that so long as the hinged handle24 is manipulated, i.e., held in the closed position as shown in FIG. 3,the trigger piece 26 is spaced a distance from the partition brim 13 andis therefore out of contact with the partition brim 13.

[0048] The hinged handle 24 is made of a material mixed with anantimicrobial agent to render the hinged handle 24 to have anantimicrobial characteristic and the grip 25 has at least a frontsurface knurled to provide surface irregularities effective to avoidslippage.

[0049] Reference numeral 34 represents a pivot handle mounted on each ofthe drawing doors 10, 11 and 12. This handle 34 is positioned adjacent atop middle portion of the associated drawing door 10, 11 or 12. Thedrawing door 10 (as well as any of the other drawing doors 11 and 12although all of those drawing doors 10 to 12 have a varying height) hasa decorative plate 35 fixedly mounted on an upper edge thereof. Thisdecorative plate 35 has a portion thereof formed with a cavity 36recessed downwardly thereof as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8, and a triggerpiece 37 is disposed within the cavity 36 for sliding movement betweenretracted and projected positions, as shown respectively in FIGS. 7 and8, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the drawing door 10 andalso to the associated partition brim 13. A portion of the front panel10 a of the drawing door 10 is formed with a recess 38 for accommodatingthe slidable trigger piece 37.

[0050] The pivot handle 34 has an upper portion pivotally supportedwithin the recess 38 and is formed integrally with a presser face 39 forpressing the slidable trigger piece 37 from the retracted positiontowards the projected position in response to movement of the pivothandle 34 from a closed position, as shown in FIG. 7, towards an openedposition, as shown in FIG. 8, and also with a pull face 40 for returningthe slidable trigger piece 37 from the projected position towards theretracted position in response to movement of the pivot handle from theopened position towards the closed position as biased by an elasticmember 42 such as, for example, a coiled spring. The slidable triggerpiece 37 is formed with a projection 41 selectively engageable with thepresser face 39 and the pull face 40. The elastic member 42 used to urgethe pivot handle 34 normally towards the closed position is mounted onthe pivot handle 34 and, for this purpose has one end engaged with theprojection 41 and the opposite end engaged in the recess 38.

[0051] With the slidable trigger piece 37 held in the retracted positionas shown in FIG. 8, the slidable trigger piece 37 is spaced a slightdistance from the adjacent partition brim 13. Reference numeral 43represents a cover plate overhanging the slidable trigger piece 37 andalso overlaying a front top area of the pivot handle 34. The slidabletrigger piece 37 is positioned within an area encompassed by the lengthL3 of the pivot handle 37 as measured in a direction widthwise of therefrigerator housing 1 so that the trigger mechanism can be assembledcompact.

[0052] It is to be noted that the pivot handle 37 and its associatedcomponent parts including the slidable trigger piece 37, which has beendescribed in association with the drawing door 10 is equally employed ineach of the remaining drawing doors 11 and 12.

[0053] Hereinafter, respective operations of the handles employed in therefrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

[0054] The hinged handle 24 has the grip 25 of a design that permits auser's hand to easily grip the hinged handle 24 from any of threedirections, top, bottom and non-fixed portion, and is capable of openingthe hingedly supported door 9. When the hinged handle 24 is pivotedcounterclockwise about the hinge pin 32 at the time the hingedlysupported door 9 is desired to be opened, the trigger piece 26 moves aslight distance and is then brought into contact with the partition brim13. Then, the hingedly supported door 9 is pivoted clockwise, as viewedin FIG. 2, about the hinge pins 19. Further opening of the hingedlysupported door 9 can be achieved when the user opens the hingedlysupported door 9 in the clockwise direction.

[0055] More specifically, since the trigger piece 26 can move freelyduring the pivot of the hinged handle 24, it can be moved by applicationof a light force thereto. When this manipulation is continued, thetrigger piece 26 is temporarily brought into contact with the partitionbrim 13 to partially separate the magnetic gasket, rigid with thehingedly supported door 9, from the open edge and, therefrom furtheropening of the hingedly supported door 9 can be achieved with a slightforce and without being affected by the magnetic force of attractiondeveloped between the magnetic gasket 14 and the front brim 13. Releaseof the user's hand from the grip 25 of the handle 24 results in thehandle 24 being returned to the initial position by the effect of thebiasing force of the elastic member 33.

[0056] Where food material is desired to be removed from one of thestorage containers, for example, the storage container 21, theassociated drawing door 10 has to be pulled forward. For this purpose,the user must insert his or her hand into the recess 38 to positionfingers in between the pivot handle 34 and the bottom of the recess 38and then pull the pivot handle 34 forwards to allow the pivot handle 34to be angularly moved from the closed position towards the openedposition. This pivot of the pivot handle 34 towards the opened positionresults in contact of the presser face 39 with the projection 41 and,therefore, further pivot of the pivot handle 34 towards the openedposition is accompanied by the sliding movement of the trigger piece 37from the retracted position towards the projected position.

[0057] As a result of abutment of the trigger piece 37 against thepartition brim 13, the magnetic gasket rigid with the drawing door 10then held in tight contact with the partition brim 13 by the effect ofthe magnetic force of attraction is separated a distance away from thepartition brim 13 so that further movement of the drawing door 10towards the opened position can be achieved by application with a lightpulling force thereto. It is to be noted that after the magnetic gasket14 has been forcibly separated from the partition brim 13 by the actionof the trigger piece 37, the pull of the drawing door 10 to make accessto the storage container 21 can be carried out smoothly in a mannergenerally performed with that of the conventional refrigerator. As amatter of design, release of the hand from the pivot handle 34 resultsin automatic return of the pivot handle 34 to the closed position by theeffect of the biasing force of the elastic member 42 with the triggerpiece 37 consequently brought back to the retracted position by theengagement between the pull face 40 and the projection 41 and,therefore, when the drawing door 10 once opened is to be closed, asimple push is sufficient and the trigger piece 37 does not abut againstthe partition brim 13 when the drawing door 10 is thus closed.

[0058] In the structure described above, since the pivot handle 34 foreach of the drawing doors 10 to 12 is positioned intermediate of thewidth of the associated drawing door, there is no possibility that theforce the user applies to the drawing door will be biased. Also, sincethe trigger piece 37 is arranged within the dimension of the pivothandle 34, there is no possibility that the user may feel a sense ofincongruity at any location on the handle 34, which would otherwiseoccur when the trigger piece 37 is brought into abutment with thepartition brim 13.

[0059] Also, since the material for the handle 24 is mixed with theantimicrobial agent to render the handle 24 to have an antimicrobialcharacteristic, the handle 24 tends to be contaminated in contact withthe user's hand can advantageously be kept sanitary and clean. Inaddition, formation of the knurling on the grip 25 of the handle toprovide the fine surface irregularities is effective to avoid anypossible of slippage of the user's hand grasping the handle 24 tothereby improve the operativity.

[0060] Furthermore, since by allowing the trigger pieces 26 and 27 toabut against the associated partition brims 13 the abutment position ofa dimension longer than the thickness of the refrigerator housing 5 canbe secured, a simple adjustment can be achieved as compared withadjustment of the abutment with an outer casing. It is to be noted thatalthough in the foregoing embodiment the trigger piece is not held inabutment with a wall pressure of the refrigerator housing, there shouldbe no problem even if it is held in abutment therewith.

[0061] It is to be noted that the term “open edge” hereinbefore andhereinafter used and also used in the appended claims is intended tomeans any of the front and partition brims.

[0062] Second Embodiment (FIGS. 10 to 15)

[0063] Referring now to FIGS. 10 to 15, reference numeral 44 representsa covering provided on a portion of the hinged handle 24 opposite to thehinge A so as to cover a region extending from the hinge A to anextension face 45 of a portion of the handle 24 opposite to the grip 25.A gap between the covering 44 and one end of the extension face 45 is ofa value L4 which is preferably as small as possible.

[0064] However, since when the hingedly supported door 9 is to beopened, this extension face 45 moves in a direction close towards thedoor and counter to the direction of movement of the grip 25 of thehandle 24, there is no possibility of the user's hand being jammed.

[0065] The drawing door 10 has the storage container which is smaller,but lighter than that of any of the drawing doors 11 and 12 and,therefore, the handle 47 associated therewith is of any known pull-typestructure whereas only the remaining drawing doors 11 and 12 areprovided with a pivotable grip handle 46 as will be describedhereinafter.

[0066] The drawing door 11 (as well as any of the other drawing door 12although those drawing doors 11 and 12 have a varying height) has adecorative plate 48 fixedly mounted on an upper edge thereof. Thisdecorative plate 48 has a portion thereof formed with a cavity 49recessed downwardly thereof as viewed in FIG. 15, and a slidable triggerpiece 50 is disposed within the cavity 49 for sliding movement betweenretracted and projected positions, as shown respectively in FIGS. 13 and14, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the drawing door 11and also to the associated partition brim 13. A portion of the frontpanel 11 a of the drawing door 11 is formed with a recess 51 foraccommodating the slidable trigger piece 50.

[0067] The pivot handle 46 has an upper portion pivotally supportedwithin the recess 51 by means of a pivot pin 52 mounted on thedecorative plate 48 so as to straddle the recess 51. The slidabletrigger piece 50 is formed with pins 53 protruding laterally outwardlyfrom one end thereof and is operatively coupled with the handle 46 withthe pins 53 received in respective engagement grooves 54. An elasticmember 55 such as, for example, a coil spring has its opposite ends heldin contact with the handle 46 and the bottom of the recess 51 to urgethe handle 46 normally towards the closed position as shown in FIG. 13and hence to urge the slidable trigger piece 50 towards the retractedposition. With the slidable trigger piece 50 so positioned at theretracted position as shown in FIG. 13, one end of the slidable triggerpiece 50 remote from the handle 46 is spaced a slight distance from theassociated partition brim 13.

[0068] Reference numeral 56 represents a covering mounted on thedecorative plate 48 so as to overhang the slidable trigger piece 50 andalso to cover a top front portion of the handle 46. As is the case withthe foregoing embodiment, the slidable trigger piece 50 is positionedwithin an area encompassed by the length L3 of the pivot handle 46 asmeasured in a direction widthwise of the refrigerator housing 1. Sincethe covering 44 is used to cover that end portion of the handle 24 inthe hingedly supported door 9, there is no possibility that the user'shand may be jammed by that end of the handle.

[0069] Also, since the uppermost drawing door 10 is provided with thestorage container which is shallower and lighter than any of the otherdrawing doors 11 and 12, it can be opened with a slight force eventhough the handle is not designed to be of a movable type andelimination of use of the movable handle makes it possible to reduce thecost.

[0070] It is to be noted that the handles 24 and 46 employed in thesecond embodiment of the present invention bring about effects andadvantages similar to those discussed in connection with the foregoingembodiment of the present invention.

[0071] Third Embodiment (FIGS. 16 and 17)

[0072] Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, the hinged handle 24 ispivotally connected to a bottom left corner of the hingedly supporteddoor 9 remote from the hinge with its grip 25 extending upright in adirection conforming to the longitudinal sense of the refrigeratorhousing 1. Accordingly, the dimension B of the handle 24 having the grip25 as measured in a direction widthwise of the hingedly supported door 9can be minimized, making it difficult for the user and his or her clothto be caught thereby. Also, during the use, the handle 24 moves to pusha portion of the refrigerator housing 1 and, accordingly, the forcenecessary to selectively open and close the hingedly supported door 9can be advantageously be minimized.

[0073] Fourth Embodiment (FIG. 18)

[0074] In the forth preferred embodiment of the present invention, therefrigerator housing 1 has drawing doors 57 and 58 juxtaposed inside-by-side relation and positioned at a location generallyintermediate of the height of the refrigerator housing 1. Although notshown, these drawing doors 57 and 58 include a respective storagecontainer. As viewed in FIG. 18, the left drawing door 57 has the handle34 positioned at a top middle portion thereof and the right drawing door58 has the handle 34 positioned at a bottom middle portion. While thehandle 34 in the left drawing door 57 when pulled to pivot movesforwardly and upwardly, the handle 34 in the right drawing door 58 is,when pulled to pivot, moved forwardly and downwardly.

[0075] While the structure and the operation of those handles 34 in theleft and right drawing doors 57 and 58 are substantially identical witheach other and are not therefore reiterated, it should be noted that theoperativity of each of the handles 34 will not be adversely affected bythe specific layout of those handles 34.

[0076] Fifth Embodiment (FIG. 19)

[0077] In this fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention shownin FIG. 19, the uppermost drawing door 10 has the handle 46 positionedat a bottom middle portion thereof whereas the intermediate drawing door11 has the handle 46 positioned at a top middle portion thereof so as toconfront the handle 46 in the uppermost drawing door 10. Accordingly,the handle 46 in the uppermost drawing door 10 although substantiallyidentical in structure with that in the intermediate drawing door 11 isreversed relative to the handle 46 in the intermediate drawing door 11and, therefore, while the handle 46 in the intermediate drawing door 11when pulled to pivot moves forwardly and upwardly, the handle 46 in theuppermost drawing door 10 is, when pulled to pivot, moved forwardly anddownwardly.

[0078] While the structure and the operation of those handles 46 in thedrawing doors 10 and 11 are substantially identical with each other andare not therefore reiterated for the sake of brevity, it should be notedthat the operativity of each of the handles 46 will not be adverselyaffected by the specific layout of those handles 46.

[0079] Sixth Embodiment (FIG. 20)

[0080] In this sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention shownin FIG. 20, the concept of the present invention is applied to therefrigerator of the type employing a casement door assembly includingleft and right swing doors 59 and 60 each hingedly supported by arespective pair of upper and lower hinge pins 61 and 62.

[0081] The left swing door 59 has a bottom right corner provided withthe handle 24 whereas the right swing door 60 has a bottom left cornerprovided with the handle 24. These handles 24 associated respectivelywith the swing doors 59 and 60 include the respective trigger pieceswhich are arranged symmetrically so as to be engageable with thepartition brim 13 and are arranged with their grips 25 extendinggenerally horizontally in a direction widthwise of the refrigeratorhousing 1. Also, although not shown, the magnetic gasket is at this timeheld in sealing contact with three sides of the refrigerator housing.

[0082] The pivot handles can be applied even to the casement doorassembly as discussed with reference to FIG. 20. In addition, the pivothandles applied to the casement door assembly can be tailored anddesigned aesthetically to provide the refrigerator having appealingfeatures.

[0083] Seventh Embodiment (FIG. 21)

[0084] Even in this seventh preferred embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 21, the concept of the present invention isapplied to the refrigerator of the type employing the casement doorassembly similar to that used in the sixth embodiment and including theleft and right swing doors 59 and 60 each hingedly supported by arespective pair of upper and lower hinge pins 61 and 62.

[0085] The left swing door 59 has a bottom right corner provided withthe handle 24 with its grip 25 oriented upright in a direction parallelto the longitudinal sense of the refrigerator housing 1 whereas theright swing door 60 has a bottom left corner provided with the handle 24with its grip 25 oriented upright in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal sense of the refrigerator housing 1 and parallel with thegrip 25 of the handle 24 in the left swing door 59. Although not shown,the magnetic gasket is at this time held in sealing contact with threesides of the refrigerator housing.

[0086] The pivot handles can be applied even to the casement doorassembly as discussed with reference to FIG. 20. In addition, the pivothandles applied to the casement door assembly can be tailored anddesigned aesthetically to provide the refrigerator having appealingfeatures. In addition, since the dimension B of each of the handles 24having the respective grips 25 as measured in a direction widthwise ofthe hingedly supported door 9 can be minimized, it is possible tominimize the possibility of the user and his or her cloth being caughtthereby.

[0087] Eighth Embodiment (FIG. 22)

[0088] Referring to FIG. 22 showing an eighth preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, reference numerals 63, 64 and 65 representsrespective drawing doors each movable between a forwardly drawn, openposition and a rearwardly retracted, closed position along guide rails(not shown) and including includes a corresponding storage container(not shown) fitted thereto while opening upwardly. As far as the depthand the capacity are concerned, the storage container fitted to theintermediate drawing door 64 has the smallest of all, i.e., similar tothe storage container 21 of FIG. 2. The uppermost storage containerassociated with the uppermost drawing door 63 is used as a crispycontainer for accommodating vegetables, the intermediate storagecontainer associated with the intermediate drawing door 64 is used as amulti-purpose container, and the lowermost storage container associatedwith the lowermost drawing door 65 is used as a freezer container.

[0089] Since the intermediate drawing door 64 has the storage containeris of the smaller size as compared with those associated with theuppermost and lowermost drawing doors 63 and 65 and is thereforelight-weight, the handle 66 associated therewith is of any knownpull-type structure whereas only the remaining drawing doors 63 and 6512 are provided with the pivotable grip handle 46.

[0090] It is to be noted that the multi-purpose storage containerassociated with the intermediate drawing door 64 may be cooled to atemperature generally intermediate between freezing and refrigeratingtemperatures and may therefore be used to accommodate perishables suchfishes and/or meats, or may be designed so as to be cooled to anydesired temperature between the freezing and refrigerating temperaturesby the provision of a specially designed damper (not shown) so that theintermediate storage container can be used as desired to provide a foodstorage space.

[0091] In this structure described with reference to FIG. 22, since thelight-weight storage container of a shallow depth as compared with thoseassociated with any other drawing doors 63 and 65 is fitted to theintermediate drawing door 64, it can be opened with a slight force eventhough the handle is not designed to be of a movable type andelimination of use of the movable handle makes it possible to reduce thecost. It is eventually pointed out that in view of the health caregetting considered important in these recent years, the design has beenmade in which the crispy container which is most often accessed ispreferentially placed at a level of the refrigerator at which the usercan gain an entire perspective of the storage container without beingforced to bow and, therefore, the layout of the drawing doors accordingto the embodiment shown in FIG. 22 in which the drawing door of thesmallest height is placed at a portion of the refrigerator housing 1generally intermediate of the height thereof is effective to increasethe utility of the refrigerator embodying the present invention.

[0092] Ninth Embodiment (FIG. 23)

[0093] In FIG. 23, reference numerals 67 and 68 represent right and leftdrawing doors, respectively, which are positioned between the uppermostdrawing door 63 and the lowermost drawing door 65. Each of the right andleft drawing doors 67 and 68 is movable between a forwardly drawn, openposition and a rearwardly retracted, closed position along guide rails(not shown) and including includes a corresponding storage container(not shown) fitted thereto while opening upwardly. As far as the depthand the capacity are concerned, the storage container fitted to each ofthe right and left drawing doors 67 and 68 are small as compared withthose of the storage container associated with each of the uppermost andlowermost drawing doors 63 and 65 (See the storage container 21 of FIG.2 with respect to the depth of them). In the illustrated embodiment, thestorage container associated with the right drawing door 67 is used as amulti-purpose container whereas that with the left drawing door 68 isused as an icing chamber. Since as compared with any of the drawingdoors 63 and 65 each of the drawing doors 67 and 68 has the respectivestorage container having a relatively small depth and a relatively smallwidth and is therefore light-weight, any of the drawing doors 67 and 68can be opened with a sufficiently small force even though no movablehandle is employed, making it possible to reduce the cost.

[0094] In addition, in view of the health care getting consideredimportant in these recent years, the design has been made in which thecrispy container which is most often accessed is preferentially placedat a level of the refrigerator at which the user can gain an entireperspective of the storage container without being forced to bow and,therefore, the layout of the drawing doors according to the embodimentshown in FIG. 22 in which the drawing door of the smallest height isplaced at a portion of the refrigerator housing 1 generally intermediateof the height thereof is effective to increase the utility of therefrigerator embodying the present invention.

[0095] Although the present invention has been described in connectionwith the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to theaccompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes andmodifications are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes andmodifications are to be understood as included within the scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims, unless they departtherefrom.

1. A refrigerator which comprises: a thermally insulated housing openingforwards at a front surface thereof; a door for selectively opening andclosing the forward opening of the thermally insulated housing; amagnetic gasket positioned between the door and the thermally insulatedhousing and fitted to a portion of the door which is engageable with anopen edge of the thermally insulated housing; a pivotally supportedhandle connected to the door for movement between opened and closedpositions for opening and closing the door, respectively; and a triggermember drivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projectedand retracted positions whereby said trigger member is moved from theretracted position towards the projected position, as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abutagainst the open edge to thereby physically release a contact betweenthe magnetic gasket and the open edge, said trigger member being spaceda distance from an abutment face of the open edge of the thermallyinsulated housing so long as the handle is held in the closed position,but temporarily brought into engagement with the abutment face of thethermally insulated housing as the handle is pivoted from the closedposition towards the opened position to open the door.
 2. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the trigger member ispositioned within an area encompassed by a length of the handle.
 3. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an elastic memberfor biasing the handle normally towards the closed position.
 4. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the trigger member ispositioned exterior to the gasket.
 5. The refrigerator as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the trigger member is made of a synthetic resin andsaid open edge to which the trigger member is engaged is made of an ironplate.
 6. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the triggermember is made of a synthetic resin and said open edge to which thetrigger member is engaged is made of a synthetic resin.
 7. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle is made of amaterial mixed with an antimicrobial agent to render the handle to havean antimicrobial characteristic.
 8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim1, wherein the handle has a grip having fine surface irregularitiesformed by knurling.
 9. A refrigerator which comprises: a thermallyinsulated housing opening forwards at a front surface thereof; a doorhinged to one side of the thermally insulated housing by means of ahinge for selectively opening and closing the forward opening of thethermally insulated housing; a magnetic gasket positioned between thedoor and the thermally insulated housing and fitted to a portion of thedoor which is engageable with an open edge of the thermally insulatedhousing; a pivotally supported handle connected to a portion of the doorremote from the hinge for movement between opened and closed positionsfor opening and closing the door, respectively; and a trigger memberdrivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projected andretracted positions whereby said trigger member is moved from theretracted position towards the projected position, as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abutagainst the open edge to thereby physically release a contact betweenthe magnetic gasket and the open edge, said trigger member being spaceda distance from an abutment face of the open edge of the thermallyinsulated housing so long as the handle is held in the closed position,but temporarily brought into engagement with the abutment face of thethermally insulated housing as the handle is pivoted from the closedposition towards the opened position to open the door.
 10. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the handle is pivotallyconnected to one corner portion of the door remote from the hinge andthe abutment face to which the trigger member is engageable is definedin a portion of one corner of the gasket.
 11. The refrigerator asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the handle has a grip defined therein and ispositioned with the grip extending generally horizontally.
 12. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the handle has a gripdefined therein and is positioned with the grip extending generallyhorizontally and the position at which the trigger member is engageablewith the open edge is defined on one side of the door hinge remote froma pivot axis about which the handle pivots.
 13. The refrigerator asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the handle has a grip defined therein and ispositioned with the grip extending generally horizontally and theposition at which the trigger member is engageable with the open edge isdefined on one side of the door hinge remote from a pivot axis aboutwhich the handle pivots, and further comprising a covering for coveringan area extending from the pivot axis of the handle to a side face ofthe handle opposite to the grip.
 14. The refrigerator as claimed inclaim 9, wherein the handle has a grip defined therein and is supportedwith the grip extending upright.
 15. A refrigerator which comprises: athermally insulated housing opening forwards at a front surface thereof;a partition edge dividing an interior of the thermally insulated housinginto upper and lower compartments; a door hinged to one side of thethermally insulated housing by means of a hinge for selectively openingand closing at least the divided compartment; a magnetic gasket fittedto the door and positioned between the door and both of the thermallyinsulated housing and the partition; a pivotally supported handleconnected to a portion of the door remote from the hinge for movementbetween opened and closed positions for opening and closing the door,respectively; and a trigger member engageable with the partition edgeand drivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projected andretracted positions whereby said trigger member is moved from theretracted position towards the projected position, as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abutagainst the partition edge to thereby physically release a contactbetween the magnetic gasket and the partition edge, said trigger memberbeing spaced a distance from an abutment face of the partition edge ofthe thermally insulated housing so long as the handle is held in theclosed position, but temporarily brought into engagement with theabutment face of the thermally insulated housing as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position to open thedoor.
 16. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 15, wherein the partitionedge has a thickness greater than that of a front side edge of an outercasing forming a part of the thermally insulated housing.
 17. Arefrigerator which comprises: a thermally insulated housing openingforwards at a front surface thereof; an encasement door assemblyincluding first and second doors for selectively opening and closing theforward opening of the thermally insulated housing; a magnetic gasketfitted to each of the doors of the encasement door assembly andpositioned between the door and the thermally insulated housing forengagement with at least three sides; a pivotally supported handleconnected to a portion of each of the doors remote from the hinge formovement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing thedoor, respectively, the handles for the first and second doors beingarranged symmetrically with respect to each other; and a trigger memberengageable with an open edge and drivingly coupled with each of thehandles for movement between projected and retracted positions wherebysaid trigger member is moved from the retracted position towards theprojected position, as the handle is pivoted from the closed positiontowards the opened position, to abut against the open edge to therebyphysically release a contact between the magnetic gasket and the openedge, said trigger member being spaced a distance from an abutment faceof the open edge of the thermally insulated housing so long as thehandle is held in the closed position, but temporarily brought intoengagement with the abutment face of the thermally insulated housing asthe handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the openedposition to open the door.
 18. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 17,wherein each of the handles has a grip defined therein and is positionedwith the grip extending generally horizontally.
 19. The refrigerator asclaimed in claim 17, wherein each of the handles has a grip definedtherein and is supported with the grip extending upright.
 20. Arefrigerator which comprises: a thermally insulated housing openingforwards at a front surface thereof; a drawing door for covering theforward opening of the thermally insulated housing; a magnetic gasketpositioned between the drawing door and the thermally insulated housingand fitted to the drawing door; a pivotally supported handle connectedto the drawing door for movement between opened and closed positions foropening and closing the door, respectively; and a trigger memberengageable with an open edge of the thermally insulated housing anddrivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projected andretracted positions whereby said trigger member is moved from theretracted position towards the projected position, as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abutagainst the open edge to thereby physically release a contact betweenthe magnetic gasket and the open edge, said trigger member being spaceda distance from an abutment face of the open edge of the thermallyinsulated housing so long as the handle is held in the closed position,but temporarily brought into engagement with the abutment face of thethermally insulated housing as the handle is pivoted from the closedposition towards the opened position to open the door.
 21. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 20, wherein the handle is disposed on atop portion of the drawing door.
 22. The refrigerator as claimed inclaim 20, wherein the handle is disposed on a lower portion of thedrawing door.
 23. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 20, wherein thehandle is disposed on a top or lower middle portion of the drawing door.24. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 21, wherein the handle has agrip defined therein, said grip being gripped by a user when the door isdesired to be moved from the closed position towards the open position,said handle being pivotable from a closed position towards a openedposition with the grip thereof moving forwardly and angularly upwardlyto cause the trigger member to move from the retracted position towardsthe projected position.
 25. A refrigerator which comprises: a drawingdoor disposed forwardly of an opening of a thermally insulated housingand movable between open and closed position together with a storagecontainer; a pair of guide rails disposed respectively on inner sidesurfaces of the thermally insulated housing for guiding a movement ofthe drawing door between the open and closed positions; a pivot shaftjournalled to the drawing door; a handle pivotable about the pivotshaft; and a trigger member reciprocatingly movable in response to thepivot of the handle about the pivot shaft between projected andretracted positions and disposed on a lower side or an upper sideadjacent the guide rails, said trigger member when moved to theprojected position being brought into abutment with a portion of thehousing such that during manipulation of the handle the drawing door ismoved towards the open position by engagement of the trigger memberagainst that portion of the housing.
 26. The refrigerator as claimed inclaim 25, wherein the handle is disposed on a top portion of the drawingdoor.
 27. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 25, wherein the handle isdisposed on a lower portion of the drawing door.
 28. The refrigerator asclaimed in claim 25, wherein the handle is disposed on a top or lowermiddle portion of the drawing door.
 29. The refrigerator as claimed inclaim 26, wherein the handle has a grip defined therein, said grip beinggripped by a user when the door is desired to be moved from the closedposition towards the open position, said handle being pivotable from aclosed position towards a opened position with the grip thereof movingforwardly and angularly upwardly to cause the trigger member to movefrom the retracted position towards the projected position.
 30. Arefrigerator which comprises: a thermally insulated housing openingforwards at a front surface thereof; a partition wall dividing aninterior of the thermally insulated housing into upper and lowercompartments; a hingedly supported door hinged to one side of thethermally insulated housing by means of a hinge for selectively openingand closing the upper compartment; a drawing door for covering anopening leading into the lower compartment, said drawing door includinga storage container; a magnetic gasket fitted to each of the doors andpositioned between the respective door and the thermally insulatedhousing; a first pivotable handle mounted to a portion of the hingedlysupported door remote from the hinge for movement between opened andclosed positions for opening and closing the door, respectively; asecond pivotable handle mounted to the drawing door; and a triggermember drivingly connected with each of the doors for movement betweenprojected and retracted positions and engagement with an open edge ofthe thermally insulated housing, whereby said trigger member is movedfrom the retracted position towards the projected position, as theassociated handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the openedposition, to abut against the open edge to thereby physically release acontact between the magnetic gasket and the open edge, said triggermember being spaced a distance from an abutment face of the open edge ofthe thermally insulated housing so long as the handle is held in theclosed position, but temporarily brought into engagement with theabutment face of the thermally insulated housing as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position to open thedoor.
 31. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 30, wherein the drawingdoor is provided in a plural number, the plural drawing doors beingpositioned one above the other.
 32. The refrigerator as claimed in claim31, wherein the second pivotable handle is employed in each of thedrawing doors except for the drawing door having the storage containerof the smallest depth.
 33. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 31,wherein the uppermost one of the drawing doors is positioned at a levelspaced 1 meter above a floor surface.
 34. The refrigerator as claimed inclaim 32, wherein the uppermost one of the drawing doors is positionedat a level spaced 1 meter above a floor surface.
 35. A refrigeratorwhich comprises: a thermally insulated housing opening forwards at afront surface thereof; a plurality of partition walls dividing aninterior of the thermally insulated housing into uppermost, firstintermediate, second intermediate and lowermost compartments; a hingedlysupported door hinged to one side of the thermally insulated housing bymeans of a hinge for selectively opening and closing the uppermostcompartment; a drawing door for covering an opening leading into each ofthe first and second intermediate and lowermost compartments, saiddrawing door including a respective storage container; a magnetic gasketfitted to each of the doors and positioned between the respective doorand the thermally insulated housing; a first pivotable handle mounted toa portion of the hingedly supported door remote from the hinge formovement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing thedoor, respectively; a second pivotable handle mounted on a top portionof each of the first and second intermediate and lowermost compartments;and a trigger member drivingly connected with each of the doors formovement between projected and retracted positions and engagement withan open edge of the thermally insulated housing, whereby said triggermember is moved from the retracted position towards the projectedposition, as the associated handle is pivoted from the closed positiontowards the opened position, to abut against the open edge to therebyphysically release a contact between the magnetic gasket and the openedge, said trigger member being spaced a distance from an abutment faceof the open edge of the thermally insulated housing so long as thehandle is held in the closed position, but temporarily brought intoengagement with the abutment face of the thermally insulated housing asthe handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the openedposition to open the door.
 36. A refrigerator which comprises: athermally insulated housing opening forwards at a front surface thereof;a plurality of partition walls dividing an interior of the thermallyinsulated housing into uppermost, first intermediate, secondintermediate and lowermost compartments, said first intermediatecompartment being positioned immediately below the uppermost compartmentand above the second intermediate compartment; a hingedly supported doorhinged to one side of the thermally insulated housing by means of ahinge for selectively opening and closing the uppermost compartment;uppermost, first intermediate, second intermediate and lowermost drawingdoors for covering respective openings leading into the first and secondintermediate and lowermost compartments, each of said drawing doorsincluding a respective storage container, the storage container in theuppermost drawing door having the smallest depth; a magnetic gasketfitted to each of the doors and positioned between the respective doorand the thermally insulated housing; a first pivotable handle mounted toa portion of the hingedly supported door remote from the hinge formovement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing thedoor, respectively; a second pivotable handle mounted on a top portionof each of the second intermediate and lowermost compartments; and atrigger member drivingly connected with each of the hingedly supported,first and second intermediate and lowermost drawing doors for movementbetween projected and retracted positions and engagement with an openedge of the thermally insulated housing, whereby said trigger member ismoved from the retracted position towards the projected position, as theassociated handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the openedposition, to abut against the open edge to thereby physically release acontact between the magnetic gasket and the open edge, said triggermember being spaced a distance from an abutment face of the open edge ofthe thermally insulated housing so long as the handle is held in theclosed position, but temporarily brought into engagement with theabutment face of the thermally insulated housing as the handle ispivoted from the closed position towards the opened position to open thedoor.